The BHA is sorry to learn of the death, on 10 March, of Brian Barry, moral and political philosopher and distinguished supporter of Humanism.
Brian Barry (1936-2009) was educated at the University of Oxford and went on to lecture at various British and American universities. He edited the journals Ethics and the British Journal of Political Science. Until his death he was Emeritus Professor of Political Science, London School of Economics and Lieber Professor Emeritus of Political Philosophy at Columbia University.
Andrew Copson, BHA Director of Education and Public Affairs said, ‘Brian joined the BHA on his return to the UK from Columbia University and was made a Distinguished Supporter of Humanism. He supported our campaign work in a number of ways, by becoming a signatory to the 2007 Brussels Declaration, for example, and by making media appearances on behalf of the BHA. We looked forward to working further with Brian and are sorry that this was not to be.’
Brian Barry’s books include: Why Social Justice Matters (Polity 2005); Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism (2001); Justice as Impartiality (1995); Theories of Justice (Berkeley, 1989); Democracy, Power, and Justice: Essays in Political Theory (Oxford, 1989); The Liberal Theory of Justice (1973); Sociologists, Economists and Democracy (1970); Political Argument (1965, reissued 1990).
His work was widely recognised and honoured. He was a Fellow of the British Academy and the American Society of Arts and Sciences; Winner of the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science, 2001; Winner of the WJM Mackenzie Prize awarded by the Political Studies Association (UK) for the best book published in the previous year for Theories of Justice (1989), Justice as Impartiality (1995), and Culture and Equality (2001).
There is a growing collection of tributes to Brian on the Crooked Timber blog.